Chapter Twenty-Three
A/N:
Extra long chapter for you this week. Enjoy!!
Raven
Opening the bar was usually great. It was quiet and there were no thirsty patrons begging for another round while unashamedly staring at my chest. It was a shift I'd normally be thrilled to have, but today the quiet bothered me. It taunted me like a villain in a movie. The silence, the stillness- it gave me too much room to think. To worry. Not that I'd admit it to anyone.
It was hard enough convincing Viper to let me keep working and let Nix continue going to campus for classes. Though, even I was uneasy with the latter after everything that had happened. But telling Nix she had to sit back and put her life on hold while I fought to keep my independence seemed hypocritical.
So, Nix was still going to class- with the stipulation that she have at least two of the MC with her at all times. Boner and Archie shadowed her, blending into the background with their baby faces. Raptor didn't like it, but he'd stick out like a sore thumb on campus, and Viper had other jobs for him. I know when he wasn't busy with Viper's dirty work, he stayed as close as he could to Nix, unwilling to let anything happen to her.
If it bothered her to have an entourage, she didn't show it. Nix took everything in stride, refusing to let what happened to Tweak dull her ever-hopeful spirit. I was proud and the slightest bit jealous of her ability to bounce back with unyielding optimism after the bombshells we dropped on her.
Meanwhile, here I am, waiting for the next shoe to drop as I stock the beer coolers. It's been a week and nothing else has happened between the Sons of Sorrow and the Desert Bastards. Dom's crew has been MIA since the stabbing and the Sons' retaliation. I still don't know what they did as payback for what happened to Tweak, but it must have been bad to make Dom and his guys back off.
For now.
The annoying voice inside my head kept reminding me that peace was only temporary. Sooner or later, one or both crews would end up pushing the other into action. And when that time came, I wasn't so sure I wanted to be around to witness it.
The door to the bar swung open and my bodyguard trudged inside. Reaper had somehow grown even more crabby since Viper upped Nix's and my protection detail. All week at least two MC members were staying with us overnight. Raptor, Reaper, and Jesse were the ones who drew that duty, much to Reaper's immense displeasure.
Jesse and Raptor seemed to enjoy it, though. As did my sister. It meant she and Raptor could spend all night wrapped up in each other without worrying what Daddy Dearest would think of his Treasurer slinking out of our house in the morning. Part of me still thought she was getting too attached too quickly, but with everything else going on, I wasn't going to deny her anything that kept her mind off Dom and his Bastards.
The door swung open again and Jesse's smiling face greeted me. At least there's something positive coming out of this situation for me...
He sent a quick greeting to his cohort before meeting me behind the bar. Soft lips met my cheek as a strong hand curved around my hip. "Morning, sexy."
I couldn't stop my lips from curling if I wanted to. Jesse's a likable guy, and ever since the first night he stayed over, things between us have grown more heated. We didn't have sex that first night, but I had a front-row seat to what the man's hands and mouth are capable of.
Since then, we rounded the bases quickly. One night, we wound up pressing each other against the storeroom wall for a quickie after closing. It was hot, hard, and fast, giving us a much-needed boost of serotonin. It's made work flirting even more interesting. Every heated look now holds the promise of late-night orgasms.
Plural.
The man is generous in the bedroom. And the shower. And the breakroom.
If I were one for commitment, Jesse would definitely be a contender. But since neither of us is looking for forever, we've agreed to let things play out until we get bored. It's a hot distraction from what happened- from what else may still happen.
Everyone was shaken after Tweak's attack, even if they refused to let it show. Viper thinks his guard detail will prevent anything from happening to us, but physical protection only does so much. It's the mental damage that's so much more dangerous. That's the shit that will eat away at you slowly, driving you to insanity and paranoia.
The thought that someone may be plotting against you or the ones you care about, that's the real foundation of nightmares.
So, for now, I'll do what I can to keep my mind from spiraling into the deep, dark confines of 'what if'. I'm always keenly aware that something bad can happen at any moment, but running all day every day on that kind of energy isn't good for anyone.
That's where Jes comes in. His generous orgasm donations help balance out the negatives with positives. He almost makes things feel normal. But there is no such thing as normal when you live in the inner sanctum of an MC that has pissed off rivals. Especially when the MC President is your father. That alone puts a huge target on your back.
Mine. And Nix's.
Just like that, the dread creeps back in. "Hey," Jesse says softly. "You okay?"
I shake myself out of my haze. "I'm fine."
The look he shoots me tells me he isn't buying it. Suddenly, warm arms circle my waist, and Jesse's hot breath ghosts across the skin of my neck. "Do we need to disappear to the back room for a few minutes? Take your mind off whatever it is that's got you frowning?"
His offer of a quickie gets my heart pumping. Just as I'm about to respond, a gruff voice cuts through the air, making both of us freeze. "No one comes here to watch live porn. Knock that shit off!"
Jesse hides his smile in my neck whispering, "Whoops."
He loosens his grip on me as he turns to our audience. "Someone's got their panties in a bunch this morning."
Reaper glares violently, looking more annoyed than anyone has the right to be at this hour of the day. "What's Pres gonna say if he walks in and sees you two bangin' one out over the bar?"
Reluctantly, Jesse pulls away from me, sending me a look that says 'We'll finish this later'. I go back to stocking coolers and wiping down the bar, shooting Reaper daggers every few minutes.
Just because he's not getting any doesn't mean he needs to cockblock everyone else!
I'm sure it's no fun being fifth wheeled at night when Nix and Raptor and Jesse and I disappear for some M-rated extracurriculars. Those two aren't exactly quiet, and Jesse and I don't put extra effort into tamping down our noises either. But damn!
Get over it, dude!
Maybe he's extra grouchy because of his interrupted sleep patterns. Maybe he's jealous. Maybe he just wants everyone around him to be as miserable as he is.
Whatever it is, he needs to knock it the fuck off. Just because he isn't getting it in doesn't mean he should make the rest of us suffer with him. "Stupid prick," I mutter to myself.
For the rest of my shift, I make sure that Reaper has a front-row seat to my flirtations with Jesse. Every eye bat, every sultry word, every not-so-innocent touch shared for Mr. Cockblock to witness. I wasn't sure what I was doing registered with the jackass until I met his eye as I grazed my ass over Jesse's crotch while reaching for an ice scoop during the lunch rush. His scowl and eye roll showed his cards- he noticed and it pissed him off.
I smirked victoriously as our eyes met. Serves him right for trying to ruin my fun.
xxx
After our shift, we didn't head back to the house as usual. We were summoned to the clubhouse by Viper with a cryptic order. I held on tight to Jesse as we sped toward Viper's place, wondering what was going on. We weren't told much which didn't help my irritability.
Maybe afterward Jes and I can disappear for a while to work off some stress.
The thought eased my tension a bit. Sex tends to have that effect on me, but something in my gut told me it wouldn't be so easy this time. I looked behind us and saw Reaper's glare spearing into me.
Fucking dickhead!
I was relieved it was just him and not one of Dom's guys sending my senses into overdrive. The overwhelming sense of paranoia that's shadowed me lately is new and unnerving. It pissed me off that everything shook me more than usual lately. Anger bubbled inside me, churning like poison.
I thought of everything and everyone that caused it. Dom for starting the club war. Viper for getting Mom pregnant and abandoning her for the MC. Reaper for being a never-ending thorn in my side. Myself for letting Nix get pulled into the club's bullshit. Anything that had pissed me off in the last six months ran through my head, making my situation worse.
If I didn't let off some steam soon, the next person who crossed me would regret every decision they ever made. The twisted part of me took a grain of pleasure from that. The part of me that basked in the darkness took joy in the thought of violence. She wanted to come out to play.
At the clubhouse, that feeling only got worse the second we stepped inside. It looked like the guys were throwing a party. And the club's whores were on the guest list. I recognized Misty Whatever and her gaggle of sweet butts from previous encounters.
One stupid word out of her mouth and she's done.
A leggy brunette and a tan redhead noticed our arrival. The brunette perked up when she saw Reaper, prowling over and running a talon down his chest. She murmured something to him as he managed to look somehow more annoyed. I rolled my eyes and became instantly livid when the redhead eyed Jesse.
A low snarl left my throat, making the girl's face pale. She had enough sense to avert her gaze and made sure she looked anywhere but his way from that moment on.
A warm arm wrapped around my shoulders as Jesse chuckled. "You stakin' a claim, Rae?"
I looked up at him with a shrug. "Just don't like to share. And tonight, you're mine," I informed him.
Heavy footsteps and a deep voice cut through the living room. "Wait here with Raven," Viper said to the guys. "We're waiting on Raptor and Boner. They're on their way with Phoenix."
He disappeared with Bear, leaving the rest of us to settle in and wait. Jesse found an open spot on the couch and pulled me onto his lap. His fingers played with my skin along the hem of my shirt as Reaper and his fangirl took up another seat.
We didn't have to wait long before the missing members and my sister appeared. Nix was all smiles as she brushed out her hair with her fingers. She'd ridden with Raptor by the looks of it. And I wasn't the only one who noticed.
Skank Queen Misty let out a loud screech. "Are you fucking kidding me? You gave up this," she gestured a hand down her side, "for her!"
The smile disappeared from Phoenix's face, igniting my rage. "She's not cut out to be your ol' lady, Raptor! It should be me!"
Misty made the mistake of stepping closer to my sister, still screaming in her shrill voice. "Once he's done fucking you, he'll be right back where he belongs," she said to Nix.
The flash of hurt in my sister's eyes was the last straw. I snapped, vaulting from Jesse's lap toward the skank who should have shut her mouth long ago. "Fuck you! You aren't even half the woman Phoenix is, you stupid fucking, washed-up, dollar bin whore!"
I was lunging for Blondie, when Jesse's arms caught me at the last second. Misty's wide eyes blinked at me in shock as he struggled to pull me away. Then, the room went silent. I thrashed in Jesse's grip, wanting to rip the bitch to shreds as a dark cloud seemed to enter the room.
Raptor was staring daggers at Misty as he held Nix close to his side. Her gaze suddenly left the blonde-with-limited-minutes and focused on something else. I looked to see what she was looking at.
No. Not what- who.
Viper was standing in the living room threshold, looking murderous. Recovered from her shock, Misty started screeching again, this time at me. Her shrill words were quickly silenced with Viper's booming order. "ENOUGH!"
The walls rattled at the volume and everyone in the room went still. "Sweet butts need to leave. Now!"
Every one of Misty's friends stood to leave while she crossed her arms and snarled at Phoenix, making no move to leave. Viper clocked her immediately. "Are you fucking deaf? Get out!"
Always a glutton for punishment, she whipped around to face the club President. "Why do they get to stay?" She pointed a gnarled claw at me and Phoenix.
Viper stormed closer to the mouthy idiot, making her curl in on herself. "They stay because I say so. Now. Get. The. Fuck. Out! And don't ever come back here! You are officially banned from this house and its members! I don't ever want to see your face in here again!"
That left a mark. The blonde's lip started quivering and she tried to plead her case, through watery eyes. "B-b-but, I- I didn't mean it. I- I just-"
"GET. OUT," Viper spat venomously. His word was final. There was no arguing or pleading her way out of this. Finally, she'd be gone and Nix wouldn't have to put up with her bullshit anymore.
When she left, with some assistance from Archie, the room was still eerily silent. Viper turned his sights on Nix and Raptor. "You two, with me."
He led the way to a room off the kitchen, closing the door tightly behind them. I couldn't make out what was being said, but the sound of raised voices echoed through the door more than once.
It felt like an eternity before the three of them emerged. Viper's face was bright red as he exited the room. He zeroed in on me and Jesse, narrowing his eyes. When he approached, he noted Jesse's arms still draped around me. "Do I need to remind you what happens here?" He nodded my way as he spoke to Jes.
Jesse shook his head. "Nah, Pres. I know what happens if things go south. Don't need to tell me again," he said. It was the only confirmation that I needed that whatever lecture Viper had just given Raptor was one he'd already given Jesse at some point.
With a curt nod, Viper turned back toward the kitchen. "Meeting's on! Raven, Phoenix, wait here with the prospects."
Just like that the room emptied and the MC closed the doors to talk about whatever club business was so pressing. Once the doors were shut, I took a good look at my sister, wondering what happened with Viper. To my surprise, she was holding a small smile on her lips.
I sat next to her, nudging her side. She knew what I wanted. Without further prodding from me, she summarized what happened with Viper and Raptor in the other room.
"He figured it out- that Raptor and I are together. He was livid at first. When he asked how far things had gone between us, I told him it didn't matter. I thought his head was going to explode. He turned purple and started yelling. I thought he was going to force us to break up, but then Raptor told him that this thing between us isn't just for fun. He said that he really cares for me. And he'd do anything to protect me."
She paused, looking down at her hands in her lap. "He said he'd step down from the club if that's what it took for Viper to accept it. He was willing to do that for me."
More brownie points for Raptor.
Nix smiled to herself. "He really does care, Rae. He was going to give up so much for me."
I pulled her close, rubbing her arm with my hand. "Of course, he would. You're worth it, Nix. He'd be stupid not to see that."
She chuckled as she told me the rest. "Dad told him that wasn't necessary. That he couldn't lose his Treasurer. Then, he told him that could change if he ever hurt me. Gave him the whole lecture on making me happy and keeping me safe. There was a vague reference to an unmarked grave out in the desert. And that was that."
I couldn't help but laugh. "You know, if he ever does hurt you, whatever threats Viper made will look like child's play compared to what I'll do to him."
Nix's shoulders shook with laughter. "Oh, I know. I think he's more afraid of what you'd do to him than the club."
My lips curled at that. "Good, as long as he knows," I told her.
We waited together, talking quietly as the meeting went on. The conversation between us was light, but we both knew the truth. Whatever was being said behind that door could be serious. It was that realization that stood with me as we waited for the door to open.
The worry in Phoenix's eyes told me she had one question on her mind...
Did this meeting hold good news, or were our troubles only beginning?